KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is what you might call "well-connected" at Apple. Last year, he was spot on with his call for a fingerprint scanner to be embedded in the home button on the Apple iPhone 5s. He even correctly predicted the use of sapphire for Touch ID. Now, with every analyst and his Uncle concentrating on the next iteration of the Apple iPhone, Kuo is focusing on the Apple iPad.

According to the "plugged-in" analyst, the Apple iPad Air 2 will launch late in the third quarter, a little earlier than usual. The new flagship tablet will be equipped with a TSMC produced A8 processor, ...